Apparatus for exposing liquids to direct contact with air or gases



July 2, 1940. WALKER 2,206,440

APPARATUS FOR EXPOSING LIQUIDS TO DIRECT CONTACT WITH AIR 0R GASES Filed Oct. 28, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1.

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APPARATUS FOR EXPOSING LIQUIDS TO DIRECT CONTACT WITH AIR 0R GASES Filed Oct. 28, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 a b B A Fig. 5. a B d T A IDHAIIIIDDIJIIDAIJDD YII A g noxx/i0',6 1 91;'i'lj i'i'l'i i'ic j0i, E %!1'11' 11 4 HM I Fig. 4.

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APPARATUS FOR EXPOSING LIQUIDS TO DIRECT CONTACT WITH AIR OR GASES Filed Oct. 28, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 6.

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Attorney y 2, 1940. G. H. WALKER 2,206,440

APPARATUS FOR EXPOSING LIQUIDS TO DIRECT CONTACT WITH AIR 0R GASES Filed Oct. 28, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 I n ventor 05 ll Wa//r671 y G. H. WALKER 2,206,440

APPARATUS FOR EXPOSING LIQUIDS TO DIRECT CONTACT WITH AIR 0R GASES I Filed Oct. 2a, 1958 e S heets-Shet 5 Fig. 10. Fig.1].

A B I I n ventor 61ft Mal/r67 A ltorney y 2, 1940. G. H. WALKER 2,206,440

APPARATUS FOR EXPOSING LIQUIDS TO DIRECT CONTACT WITH AIR 0R GASES Filed 001:. 28, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 I nuentor Gf/r. Mai/467' I Attorney Patented July 2, 1940 r UNITED stars rarest OFFlCE APPARATUS FOR EXPOSING LIQUIDS TO DIRECT CONTACT WITH AIR 'OR GASES George Henry Walker, Worcester, England, as-

signor to Heenan & FroudeLimited, Worcester, England 7 Application Gctober 28, 1938, Serial No. 237,392 In Great Britain November 13, 1937 3 Claims. (01. zen-112) it This invention relates to improvements in ap- ,Fig/ 1 is an elevation of a heat transferring;- paratus for exposing liquids to direct contact plate formed according to the mvention. with air or other gases of the type in which the Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 Fig. l.

liquid is caused to spread over a large surface Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the plate showin 5 or area and the gases brought into intimate con= the leading and trailing edges of the plate curv d. tacttherewith, the flow of the liquid and gases .Fig. .4 is an elevation of a. screen frame built, over the surfaces being preferably in opposite up of a number of heat transferring plates. dir ti Fig. 5 is an end view of the screen frame. v

In such apparatus it is well known that the Fig.6 is a vertical section of a mechanical:

16 rate at which the heat transference takes place cooler having a series of screens each builtup of 5;

depends partly on the nature of the surface and heat transferring plates mounted insidev a caspartly on the velocity of the gases flowing in ing one below the other. contact therewith. Fig. '7 is a vertical section at right angles to The object of the present invention is an im- Fig. 6.

proved construction of the aforesaid apparatus Figs. 8 and 9 are a front elevation andsec-J in which the surface intended to promote contion respectively of a nozzle for supplying the tact between gases and liquids to facilitate the liquid to the screens.

exchange of heat between the fluids will ef- Fig. 10 is a vertical section of an open type of flciently expose the liquid to the action of the cooling tower employing a series of screens built gas and at the same time reduce the resistance up of heat transferring plates. 205

to flow of both over the exposed surface. Fig. 11 is a vertical section at right angles'to According to the invention the apparatus is Fig. 10. p r constructed of a plurality of flat plates or strips Fig. 12 is a vertical section of another typeof of metal or other suitable material the surface cooling apparatus having the screens arranged of each of which has conical or pyramidal prosubstantially vertically. 1 tuberances pressed or punched out of the sur- Figs. 13 and 14 illustrate difierent ways in face at intervals, the sides of the protuberances which the plates may be disposed in the type of being split to form comparatively sharp procooler shownin Fig. 12. jections against which the gases strike when fiow- The heat transfer surface is formed of a thin :-ing overthe surface thereby promoting or instrip orplate A of metal or other suitable matecreasing turbulence in the gases and consequentrial which if made of a corrodiblemetal may be 4 1y increasing the rate of heat'transier between protected by galvanising or other suitable surthem and the liquidthe plates being vertical face. A series of conical orpyramidal pro-' or inclined and so disposed relatively to one antuberanoes a are pressed or punched outof the other that the gases will flow between them. surface of the plate, these protuberances being 35-; The conical or pyramidal protuberances may formed either with a regular pitch and'staggered I be of regular or irregular pitch and may be arformation as shown in Fig; 1 or they may be of ranged in staggered or parallel formation. regular pitch and. parallel formation or of irregu- Furthermore, between any one protuberance lar pitch. 490 and the next a channel or gulley is formed along The sides of the protuberances a are split '40:;

which the liquid passes- ThllS wh e liquid ing their, formation to form a number of 'rela is flowing from edge t e of the Surface 15 1S tively sharp edges 12. against which the gases split up by the protuberan nd the hann will strike during their passage over the plate into numerous small streams, none of which conthereby increasing or promoting turbulence of s tinlles unbroken for long, sothat th liquid the gases and consequently increasing the rate Prevented from collecting into S eam whic by of heat transfer between the gases and the liquid. capillary attraction would tend to segregate'and flowing over the plate. A channel or gulley a to. denude a portion of the cooling surface of is formed between each pair of protuberances a liquid. Therefore the liquid is efliciently spread along which the liquid will pass and be splitup s over the whole of the available cooling surface into numerous small streams none of which con- 0L with corresponding improvement in heat transtinues unbroken for long. The liquid is thus preferring efliciency. vented from collecting into streams which, owing The invention will be described with-reference to capillary attraction, would tend to separate 55 to the accompanying drawings in which: Q and denude a portion or portionswof the plate egress therefrom whereby the inlet and egress can be effected gradually with initial and finalvelocities lower than the intermediate'velocities.

This effect is obtained as the area between eachv pair of plates for the flow ofgases is a maximum at the entrance b, but graduallyhdiminishesjwith, consequent increase of velocity as the gases progress towards the narrower gap between the inclined surfaces. This enabls the gases mapproaoh at low velocity, thereby avoiding resistance to flow which would be set up in the-absence of the curvature of the plates. Similarly the curvature at. the outlets b from the plates slows the velocity of the gases gradually, thereby recovering velocity head and converting it to pressure;

The increase of velocity of gases which takes place during their passage between the inclined plates A promotes efficient contact between the gases and the liquid, and together with the effectof the protuberances. promotes rapid inter- 301' changeof heat.

Although the protuberances are shown inFigs. l to 3 on the under surface of the plate A they maybe formed on the upper surface thereof.

The screens B formed as shown in Figs. 4 and 85 5 of the plates A may be employed in many types of heat transfer apparatus examples of the lowest screen Bby a D which maybe of" 45131118 centrifugal type as shown or a'propeller type.

By reason of the. pressure produced by the fan D: the'air rises in the casing C passing progres-j sively through each screen B to the outlet duct Cliat the 'top of the casing C.

60 -A tank E to Which the cooling liquid is supplied by a pump (not shown) or otherwise is arranged at the side of the casing 0 near the top thereof and connected to a series of transverse pipes or ducts'E above the top of the wfupper screen B. A number of nozzles F are ar= rangedinthe underside of the pipes El through which the liquid is spread over the upper screen 13 from which it falls by gravity through each succeeding screen into a tank C at the bottom of oosthe casing below the air inlet (3 Any suitable form of nozzle may be employed for-distributing the cooling liquid over the top screen B but the nozzle F shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is particularly applicable for the purpose. The

(mi-nozzle F is formed with two inclined orifices on opposite sides which direct the liquid downwards. Eaeh'orifice ,f is partly closed by a disc or flap hinged at a point f above the top of the orifice.

'The'weight of the disc or flap 7 acting downwardly at a short horizontal distance from theaxis of the hinge, tends to hold its face against astop i, so that when the head of liquid above the nozzle is slight theliquid emerges from the 1.: narrow gap f between the face of the-disc and the nozzle. When the head of liquid is increased as by an increase in the rate of flow, the pressure of the liquid upon the disc also increases and pushes the disc further away from the orifice. Under all conditions of flow the liquid impinges upon the disc and emerges through the gap between the orifice and disc in a fan-shaped stream directed substantially vertically downwards.

q Any variation in rate of inflow automatically causes the disc or flap f to approach or recede -from the face of the nozzle and to increase or A door C is. preferably arranged at one side of the casing 'C for easy removal and inspection of the screens B.

Moisture eliminators G of any known type -preferably inclined to the horizontal are arranged between the cooling liquid supply pipes and the air outlet (l -"for: the'zpurpose of extracting any liquid. which maybe held insuspension inthe; air and return it back to the casing. the.

If desired the fan D supplying the air to casing C may be dispensed with and natural Although in the foregoing description the apparatus is described as for cooling air or gases it can be. equally well employed for cooling liquids; the liquid to be cooled being supplied by the noz-;;'

zles F and the cooling air by the fan D.

Figs. 10 and 11 show the. screens B built up'of the plates A employed in an open type of cooling tower for cooling water or other liquid. The 2. screens 13 are carried by an open frame I-I,being:-

arranged one above the other and supported by brackets b affixed to the upright members of they The liquid to be cooled is suppliedat' the top to one or more transverse ducts E providedframe.

on the underside with distributing nozzles F preferably of the construction hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9., A tank H1 is, provided at the bottom of the tower to collect the; 45'. liquid after it'has passed down the screens 13.; A cooling tower of this type when erected-in an:

exposed position will subject the liquid to a cool-4.

ing eifect of the atmosphere as the air will pass into the passages between the platesA of the screens B.

In the type ofcooling device shown in Fig. 12 the screens B built up of the plates A arear-gz ranged substantially vertically in a casing; L;

through which the air or gas is passed horizon? tally by a fan D. The liquid is supplied fromii'a tank E provided with a perforated bottom e,; above the top of the screens and flows down the plates A of the screens B toe tank L atuthe bottom from which it is removed by a pump L.

outlet end of the casing L.

The plates A from which the as shown in Fig. 13. Or a tortuous passage as A need not be curved at edges.

The cooling apparatus shown" in lZ JJS equally applicable for cooling liquid by airor p,

cooling gases by liquid.

.60 Moisture eliminators G may be arranged at the- It is to be understood that the use or heating" transfer plates A formed in accordance with'tnis" invention is not limited to the variom types of cooling or heat transferring apparatus shown-m the drawings but can be employed in any other suitable form of such apparatus.

What I claim as my invention and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. Heat exchange apparatus for promoting gas and liquid contact comprising a series of plates arranged in juxtaposition and in parallel planes to form screens, the leading edge and the trailing edge of each plate being curved to vary the velocity of the gases between the planes, pyramidal protuberances raised at intervals from the surface of each plate, each protuberance being split at its sides to form sharp edged projections of regular and defined shape to divide the liquid and distribute it evenly over the surface of the plate and against which the gases impinge while travelling between the planes.

2. A cooling tower for contacting gases with liquids comprising a casing, a series of plates arranged in juxtaposition to form screens said screens being arranged in parallel planes inclined to the vertical, frames in which the screens are mounted, the leading edge and the trailing edge of each plate being curved to vary the velocity of the gases between the planes, pyramidal protuberances raised at intervals from the surface of each plate, each protuberance being split at its sides to form sharp edge projections of regular and defined shape to divide the liquid and distribute it evenly over'the surface of the plate and a fan to blow air through the casing.

3. A cooling tower for contacting gases with liquids comprising a casing, a series of plates arranged in juxtaposition to form screens, said screens being arranged in parallel planes inclined to the vertical, open frames in which the screens are mounted within the casing, the leading edge and the trailing edge of each plate being curved to vary the velocity of the gases between the planes, pyramidal protuberances raised at intervals from the surface of each plate, each protuberance being split at its sides to form sharp edged projections of regular and defined shape to divide the liquid and distribute it evenly over the surface of the plate and against which the gases impinge while travelling between the planes, and a tank to collect the liquid after travelling down the plates.

GEORGE HENRY WALKER 

